‘Built-in skepticism’

39 lives and counting

About this series

The Dallas Morning News is tracking every suspected domestic violence homicide in Dallas, Collin, Rockwall and Denton counties in 2014, as part of its yearlong examination of domestic violence deaths in North Texas.

The News began this in-depth look at the issue after a series of horrific domestic violence deaths shook the area and inspired Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings to call for an end to the violence.

In each installment of the Deadly Affection series, which typically is published once a month, The News aims to explore a different aspect of domestic violence to explain the toll it takes on the North Texas community. Previous stories have highlighted the impact on loved ones left behind, and Dallas County's failure to enforce a gun ban on some domestic abusers.

An interactive map is routinely updated to show where the killings occurred, who the perpetrator and victims were and their relationship to each other.

For the purpose of this series, domestic homicides are deaths that occur at the hands of another, when the relationship includes family members, significant others, those sharing a home, or others killed because of a domestic relationship, such as a new partner or non-biological child.